International RAZR HD and RAZR i now part of Motorola bootloader unlock program

Two of Motorola's latest flagship devices, the international RAZR HD and RAZR i, have been added to the manufacturer's bootloader unlock program today. The program, if you're not aware, gives the more technically inclined users among us an official tool to unlock the bootloader on the device, which gives access to the hardware that would otherwise be extremely difficult to access. That means custom recoveries, ROMs and hacks can be easier applied to the device. Remember though that going through official methods to unlock your bootloader with Motorola's tools will void your warranty -- a risk most of us are willing to take -- and you may be out of luck getting the phone serviced in the future.

Previously, only the Photon Q, Droid RAZR M and Droid RAZR HD developer editions were listed as being supported by the unlock program -- which Motorola pointed out at the launch event -- so it's good to see even more models getting added to the list.

It's important to point out that these are the international models being added to the list today. As far as the US models coming to Verizon go, we're pretty sure those bootloaders will be encrypted like most Verizon devices -- hence the release of separate developer model SKUs. We can understand Verizon's motivations for wanting encrypted bootloaders on the devices they subsidize to run on their network, but we also think that having fully priced (unsubsidized) developer editions is happy middle ground. It's important for those of you who support the idea of unlockable bootloader devices to follow through and purchase the developer editions -- vote with your wallet, folks.